Zarephath is a significant location mentioned in the Old Testament, particularly in the narratives involving the prophet Elijah. It is a town situated in the region of Phoenicia, between the cities of Tyre and Sidon, along the Mediterranean coast. The name "Zarephath" is believed to mean "smelting place" or "refinery," which may indicate its historical role in metalworking or refining.

Biblical References:

1. 1 Kings 17:8-24: Zarephath is most prominently featured in the account of Elijah during a time of severe drought and famine. The Lord commands Elijah to go to Zarephath, where he is to be sustained by a widow. Upon his arrival, Elijah encounters the widow gathering sticks and requests water and a morsel of bread. Despite her dire circumstances, having only a handful of flour and a little oil, she obeys Elijah's request. The Lord miraculously provides for the widow, her son, and Elijah, ensuring that the flour and oil do not run out until the Lord sends rain upon the land. This account highlights God's provision and the faith of the widow, as well as Elijah's role as a prophet. The Berean Standard Bible states: "Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 'Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.'" (1 Kings 17:8-9).

2. Luke 4:25-26: Zarephath is also mentioned in the New Testament by Jesus during His ministry. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus refers to the widow of Zarephath as an example of God's grace extending beyond Israel. He notes that although there were many widows in Israel during Elijah's time, Elijah was sent to none of them but to a widow in Zarephath. This reference underscores the theme of God's mercy and the inclusion of Gentiles in His plan of salvation.

Historical and Theological Significance:

Zarephath's inclusion in the biblical narrative serves multiple purposes. Historically, it illustrates the geographical reach of God's prophets beyond the borders of Israel, emphasizing the universality of God's message and care. Theologically, the account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath is a testament to God's miraculous provision and the power of faith. The widow's obedience and trust in God's word through Elijah resulted in sustenance and life, even in the face of death and despair.

The account also prefigures the New Testament message of salvation and God's concern for all people, regardless of their ethnic or national identity. Jesus' reference to Zarephath in Luke's Gospel highlights the broader scope of God's redemptive work, which transcends traditional boundaries and extends to all who believe.

In summary, Zarephath is a place of divine encounter and provision, where God's faithfulness is demonstrated through the miraculous sustenance of a widow and her household, and where the prophetic ministry of Elijah foreshadows the inclusive nature of God's kingdom.Zarephath

ambush of the mouth

Zarephath

(smelting place), the residence of the prophet Elijah during the latter part of the drought. (1 Kings 17:9,10) It was near to, or dependent on, Zidon. It is represented by the modern village of Sura-fend . Of the old town considerable indications remain. One group of foundations is on a headland called Ain el-Kanatarah ; but the chief remains are south of this, and extend for a mile or more, with many fragments of columns, slabs and other architectural features. In the New Testament Zarephath appears under the Greek form of SAREPTA. (Luke 4:26)

Zarephath

Obadiah 1:20, a Phoenician seaport on the Mediterranean between Tyre and Zidon, usually subject to Tyre.

During a famine in Israel, the prophet Elijah resided here, with a widow whose cruse of oil and barrel of flour were supplied and whose child was restored to life by miracle. Her noble faith in God is worthy of everlasting remembrance; universal imitation, 1 Kings 17:9-24. The place was afterwards called by the Greeks Sarepta, Luke 4:26, and is now known as Sarafend, a large village on the hills adjoining the seacoast.

Smelting-shop, "a workshop for the refining and smelting of metals", a small Phoenician town, now Surafend, about a mile from the coast, almost midway on the road between Tyre and Sidon. Here Elijah sojourned with a poor widow during the "great famine," when the "heaven was shut up three years and six months" (Luke 4:26; 1 Kings 17:10). It is called Sarepta in the New Testament (Luke 4:26). ZAREPHATH

zar'-e-fath (tsarephath; Sarepta): The Sidonian town in which Elijah was entertained by a widow after he left the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:9). Obadiah refers to it as a Canaanite (probably meaning Phoenicia) town (Obadiah 1:20). It appears in the Greek form Sarepta in Luke 4:26 (the King James Version), and is said to be in the land of Sidon. Josephus (Ant., VIII, xiii, 2) says it was not "far from Sidon and Tyre, for it lay between them." Eusebius, Onomasticon (s.v. "Sarefta"), places it on the public road, i.e. the road along the seashore. It can be no other than the modern Sarafend, about 13 miles North of Tyre, on the spur of the mountain which divides the plain of Tyre from that of Sidon.

The site of the ancient town is marked by the ruins on the shore to the South of the modern village, about 8 miles to the South of Sidon, which extend along the shore for a mile or more. They are in two distinct groups, one on a headland to the West of a fountain called Ain el-Qantara, which is not far from the shore. Here was the ancient harbor which still affords shelter for small craft. The other group of ruins is to the South, and consists of columns, sarcophagi and marble slabs, indicating a city of considerable importance. The modern village of Sarafend was built some time after the 12th century, since at the time of the Crusades the town was still on the shore.

It is conjectured that the Syrophoenician woman mentioned in Luke 4:26 was an inhabitant of Zarephath., and it is possible that our Lord visited the place in His journey to the region as narrated in Mark 7:24-31, for it is said that he "came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee."

The place has been identified by some with Misrephoth-maim of Joshua 11:8 and 13:6, but the latter passage would indicate that Misrephoth-maim was at the limit of the territory of the Sidonians, which Zarephath was not in the days of Joshua.

See MISREPHOTH-MAIM; SIDON.

Originally Sidonian, the town passed to the Tyrians after the invasian of Shalmaneser IV, 722 B.C. It fell to Sennacherib 701 B.C. The Wely, or shrine bearing the name of el-Khudr, the saint in whom George is blended with Elijah, stands near the shore. Probably here the Crusaders erected a chapel on what they believed to be the site of the widow's house.

W. Ewing

4558. Sarepta -- Sarepta, a city near Sidon
... a city near Sidon. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: Sarepta Phonetic
Spelling: (sar'-ep-tah) Short Definition: Zarephath Definition: Zarephath, a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4558.htm - 6k6886. Tsarephath -- "smelting place," a city South of Sidon
... Tsarephath. 6887 . "smelting place," a city South of Sidon. Transliteration:
Tsarephath Phonetic Spelling: (tsaq-ref-ath') Short Definition: Zarephath. ... Zarephath ...
/hebrew/6886.htm - 6k

The Voice of Stern Rebuke
... "Arise," He bade him, "get thee to Zarephath, [known in New Testament times as Sarepta],
which belongeth to Zidon, and ... "So he arose and went to Zarephath. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 10 the voice of.htm

Elijah and the Widow's Son.
... Climbing the wooded hills of Galilee, he started to go down the other side to the
town of Zarephath, by the seashore, where he would be out of King Ahab's ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/elijah and the widows son.htm

Elijah Fed by Ravens.
... But after many days the brook dried up, and God told him to go to Zarephath, where
a widow would sustain him. So he arose and went to Zarephath. ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the old testament/elijah fed by ravens.htm

Elijah and the Widow's Son
... Then this message from Jehovah came to him, "Arise, go to Zarephath which
belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a widow ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/elijah and the widows son.htm

A Prophet's Strange Providers
... brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.8. And the word of the
Lord came unto him, saying, 9. Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/a prophets strange providers.htm

Elijah's Weakness, and Its Cube
... his 'young man,' as the original has it, whom Rabbinical tradition identified with
the miraculously resuscitated son of the widow of Zarephath, and supposed to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/elijahs weakness and its cube.htm

The Prophecy of Obadiah.
... Ver.20. "And the exiles of this host of the children of Israel (shall possess) what
are Canaanites unto Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem that are in ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the prophecy of obadiah.htm

The First Period. Ch. 4:14-44
... shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the
land; 26 and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/a the first period ch.htm

Elijah the Great Heart of Israel.
... [Illustration: Ravens bringing food to Elijah]. Then Elijah was told to go to Zarephath,
for a woman there had been told to feed him, and he went at once. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxvii elijah the great.htm

A visit to his Home.
... was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all
the land; and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/a visit to his home.htm

Zarephath (4 Occurrences)
... It is called Sarepta in the New Testament (Luke 4:26). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
ZAREPHATH. ... W. Ewing. Multi-Version Concordance Zarephath (4 Occurrences) ...
/z/zarephath.htm - 11k

Zar'ephath (4 Occurrences)
... Zarephath, Zar'ephath. Zaretan . ... Luke 4:26 But Elijah was not sent to one of
them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ...
/z/zar'ephath.htm - 7k

Zarephat (1 Occurrence)
... Obadiah 1:20 The captives of this army of the children of Israel, who are among
the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem ...
/z/zarephat.htm - 6k

Sarepta (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Luke 4:26). See ZAREPHATH. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. SAREPTA. sa-rep'-ta (Sarepta): The name in ...
/s/sarepta.htm - 7k

Widow (71 Occurrences)
... Luke 4:26 Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon,
to a woman who was a widow. (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/w/widow.htm - 31k

Sidon (35 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Luke 4:26 Elijah was sent to none
of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ...
/s/sidon.htm - 25k

Elijah (104 Occurrences)
... When the brook dried up God sent him to the widow of Zarephath, a city of Zidon,
from whose scanty store he was supported for the space of two years. ...
/e/elijah.htm - 71k

Obadiah (21 Occurrences)
... persecution. He met Elijah on his return from Zarephath, and bore to Ahab
the news of Elijah's reappearance (1 Kings 18:3-16). (2 ...
/o/obadiah.htm - 32k

Sticks (25 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of
the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her ...
/s/sticks.htm - 14k

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